5 Productivity Tips That Really Work (They'll Make You Unstoppable)

16 Jul 2025 #productivity

About five years ago, I became obsessed with productivity.

I devoured the entire Lifehacker site, looking for the best system and the perfect tool to finish my work. Pomodoro technique, Eisenhower matrix, inbox zero, a todo.txt file. I tried them all.

After testing some of those techniques and simplifying my system, I’ve found what really works, at least for me.

#1. Follow your energy levels. Work on the most important tasks when your energy is at its peak. For me, that’s in the morning, after breakfast and working out. Exercise or meditate to boost your focus.

#2. Protect your sacred hours. When tackling your most important tasks, remove all distractions from your environment. 99% of the time, that means your smartphone. Even if you keep it around, it still distracts you. Yes, that’s backed by science.

#3. Work in cycles of 90 minutes of work followed by 20 minutes of rest. This is a tip I recently learned, and I’ve been trying it since then. The brain needs that rest in between to work at its peak. Tweak those 90/20 to suit your natural rhythm.

#4. Follow the 5 minute rule. When you don’t feel like working, start with a simple task and sustain it for 5 minutes. Or start with a task you can do the fastest. You need a small push to finish your more demanding work.

#5. Use a parking lot. During your sacred hours, if you come up with new tasks, write them down (paper, app, whatever works) and do it later. You should still protect your deep work time.